The Princess and the Vampire King

The harsh shrill of the quarter hour whistle brought me back to reality like a crisp slap across my face.  I was still in that horrid room with those horrid creatures awaiting a fate too horrid to imagine.Horrid… was that the best I could do? This place was beyond horrid.  It was so bad there was no description for how bad it was. My mind was fuzzy. I needed to focus.Those creatures, what were they?  They went beyond horrid to look at, horrid to be around, horrid to interact with.  My brain would not function properly. I could come up with no word to equal what they were. I gave up. Horrid would have to suffice.I smiled to myself.  What did it matter what word I used to describe what was happening?  Was it really that important?  In the not too distant future I would become a nothing, a thing of the past.  What I thought and the words I enunciated with would mean less than they already d

“Will you listen to the demands she makes?  Does she know who you are and just doesn’t care?” L’oana said.Her cackling filled the cave.“Quiet!” Jack snapped.I spun at L’oana.“I know he’s a vampire,” I said. “I saw with my own eyes.”“That doesn’t frighten you?” she asked.“Of course it frightens me,” I replied, “I’ve been nothing but frightened by one thing or another since those vile, scaly creatures abducted me, but I still need… no… I deserve to know what’s happening.”“She’s got courage, Jack, I’ll give her that.  Who is she?” L’oana purred.“I told you,” he replied.“You told her wrong,” I stated firmly.Jack turned to L’oana and ordered, “Get out.”“I’m crushed,&rdquo

It felt fantastic to be out of the cave and using my lean muscles to walk along the hilly path that bordered the forest.  Had I not known better, I would have sworn I was in the Adirondack Mountains enjoying a good excursion.  The air was cool and crisp, as it should be for a mid-fall day. The sun seemed a little brighter than on earth.  I questioned Sergeant Org about this and he explained that the sun emitted rays on Kurr that were slightly brighter because, unlike people on earth, the residents of Kurr refrained from using inventions that polluted the atmosphere.  Earth would consider Kurr behind the times in many ways, but they were merely eco conscious beyond man’s comprehension.We walked along a well-worn path through a forest of tall pine trees mixed with oak and maple trees. We hadn’t gone more than a half-mile before Jack raised his hand to signal we stop while putting his finger to his lips for silence.  I’d been so busy a

To all of our relief L’oana grew tired of the pace we were forced to keep –partly because I wasn’t a superhuman and partly because the men were stopping often to listen and observe- and went on ahead. We walked in relative silence.  I, for one, reveled in the break from her taunting, whining, and bitching.  I still hadn’t figured out why she was even with us, but then there was a lot about what was going on that confused me.I used my time of silence to contemplate and absorb all that had been told to me.  Both Jack and Sergeant Org were adamant that I was the heir to the throne of Kurr.  I wasn’t sure what that entailed, but it sounded pretty important. In fact, it had to be somewhat important since my parents were killed and I was hidden in exile because of it. I’d been brought up to be comfortable hiking and hunting, but my body wasn’t prepared for the rigorous trek we were making.  The terrain

I was forced to climb onto Jack’s back again so that we could all travel at a decent pace.  Jack was actually going much slower than we’d traveled before in order to allow for our companions, but it was at a speed much faster than it would have been had I gone on foot.  We traveled on ground instead of the tree tops until we reached the opening of a small cave that truly didn’t look like much. This unimpressive little opening in the hillside turned out to be a portal to the world beneath our feet.I learned from Sergeant Org that this was L’oana’s world.  It was a world full of illusions, tricksters, and evil doers.  This explained their reluctance to entering it.  He warned me to be cautious about speaking to anyone other than the three of them and told me of the many species of life that lived in the world below the surface world, including some of my own who’d managed to escape the chaos when the Mannador arrived